Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale | Rogue Ales

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Reviews by MRclean:

Vessel: Purchased in a 750 ml. bottle. Consumed from a large flared pilsner glass

Appearance: Dark brown with one finger of head

Smell: Strong sweet aroma of maple and some notes of smoky bacon… what did you expect?

Taste: Deep smoky flavor. The maple sweetness is definitely present and the bacon is noticeable but not intensely overpowering like I have experienced in some other bacon themed cocktails. It is definitely unique and very smoky.

Mouthfeel: It has some heft to it but it’s not as thick as the flavor would lead you to believe. I would call it medium/heavy bodied.

Overall: I’ll confess I could not finish the whole 750 ml. I should have waited to “experience” this beer with a friend. It is worth trying simply for the novelty of it but it is not my beer of choice. That being said I commend Rogue for making and distributing it.
Serving type: bottle

I bought this tonight as a "what the hell why not" $12 mistake. This is the worst thing I have ever drank. You should buy it just to see how bad it is!! Should be called Rogue jock strap sweat sock poison ivy band aid ale. I feel victimized and violated had to crack open a Gandhi Bot quickly just to feel normal again. Why dear god why would they put this out there!! I don't know if I will ever get that taste and smell out of my brain , some things cannot be undone. Pray for me.

No label information. Rogue's Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale is brewed in the style of a Smoked Ale with natural flavors added. Available as the first release in the Voodoo series in 750 ml. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 750 ml. bottle to a snifter glass. Served above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a crisp frothy head of a caramel cream complexion over a moderately hazy medium copper body with little visible carbonation. Retention is above average and lacing is light and spotty. 3.5

(Smell) Smoky malts, considerable doses of maple syrup, some cereal wheat and candied sugars, not much discernible bacon flavor but I suppose the smoky flavor may give the illusion of bacon. Altogether the combination of malt character, sweetened additives and sugars make for a robust collection of aromas. It's a heavy meal for the nose, and frankly I find it appealing at this stage, about as appealing as a sizable stack of pancakes with maple syrup is... before diving in. 4

(Taste) Charred wood, lightly sweetened cereal malts, a touch of dry maple and an understated sweetness, finishing on a profoundly meaty smoke flavor, strongly suggesting country cured pork products, perhaps even fatty bacon. My biggest complaint here is the limitation of the malt sweetness as insufficient to balance the smokiness of the specialty malts, perhaps this beer has become too dried out with time, otherwise it is bizarrely enjoyable. I know I'm not in the majority by this opinion, but I could realistically enjoy this bottle alone. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, lightly syrupy, moderately clean, lightly dry. Carbonation is modest, generating a light frothiness and a medium crisp finish. Body is medium+ for the style, medium/heavy overall. Balance is slightly earthy and smoky bitter over sweet. Alcohol presence is low and there are no notable off characters. 3.5

(Overall) I feel incredibly lucky reviewing this beer by myself, as I can't help but admit I enjoy it very much. The malt profile was hardly as cloying or viscous as I had feared it might be, although the maple and smoked wood character was still very forward, generating lots of flavor. At times I felt that the malt sweetness was dialed too low, bt I assume that three years of bottle conditioning had something to do with it. I could see enjoying a glass of this beer with a hearty, perhaps incredibly unhealthy breakfast to pair, but altogether I enjoyed this beer. 3.75

Wow. Worst beer I've ever tried. A friend bought a bottle of this in Whitefish, Mont. The pink bottle sat unopened in the back of the fridge for two or three months. Being a vegetarian, I refused to drink it when my friend offered it to me.

One night, I found myself beer-less --- nary a PBR in the fridge, even.

I looked at the pink bottle. OK, I'll give it a try. Opened it, shared a glass with my friend. After a few sips I poured my glass out onto the grass in the back yard. My friend soon followed. The entire remainder of the bottle got dumped.

Let me be clear -- I don't waste beer, ever, on principle. I will happily drink even Milwaukee's Best.

But this beer ... oh man. It is an exceptional beer in that it is so bad.

C avg (up from a D+ 2 reviews prior)? I think people are knocking down their scores because of some predisposition against Rogue. If the point is to make a beer that tastes like Voodoo’s infamous bacon maple bar, Rogue succeeds. Opens with whiffs of general smokiness and specific mapliness. First swallow is thick maple spread fleshed out with suckerpunch of bacon, but is, I suppose, OTT (over the top) due to ample amounts of not one, not two, but three types of smoked malt (cherrywood, beechwood, and hickory) with applewood smoked bacon rounding out the corners. Only with the aftertaste does the vanilla appear and alchemize that maple flavor into more of a powder sugary maple frosting befitting a doughnut.

The fact is, if you like the donuts, and you like crazy ass beers, this one achieves its objective. If you know you don’t like Rauchbiers or dessert beers, you should stay far, far away and refrain from reviewing, just like I’d never review a Helles, Kolsch, or even a straightforward Amber.

Between the small batch size, flashy pepto-pink bottle, and the fact that you're going to share this with at least a few others, it is easily worth the lucky $13 price tag.

Purchased as a "beer of the week" special at a local liquor store. After hearing the name "Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale", I had to give it a try. Pours a dense amber color with a bit of haze and lots of carbonation bubbles. Decent sized head that didn't last for too long. The smell was amazing. Seriously, it smelled absolutely delicious - like ripe, smoked bacon that had been covered in maple syrup. Like waking up in a cabin, early on a Saturday morning and someone is already in the kitchen, cooking bacon and maple pancakes. Hints of wheat and malt in the background, but the bacon-maple smell dominates, and it is amazing.

Unfortunately, that's where things head south. The taste is bad. Really bad. Especially after having such high expectations after the beautiful nose it gives - just SUCH a let down. The beer barely tastes of bacon or maple at all, rather all you can taste is carbonation and smoke. It was like carbonated liquid smoke with maybe a hint of malt and caramel in the background. But the smoked flavor was so intense that it was harsh, dry, and did not feel good on the back of the throat. Body was thin and had too much carbonation to be enjoyable.

All in all, one of the worst beers I've tried. Perhaps the disappointment is magnified by the fact that the beer, in theory, sounds, and smells, delicious. It is everything BUT that. One of the only beers I couldn't finish. Very upsetting.